In the movie "Let the Bullets Fly", Zhang Mazi led a group of brothers to pretend to be the county magistrate of Ma Bond and his party, successfully "took over" Goose City, and staged a dramatic "bandit to official" show.
This kind of bandit realizes the story of identity counterattack by robbing and killing former officials and then impersonating them. In fact, there are quite a few in ancient literature.
1. "Leizhou Robbery": The strange story of "bandits turned officials" in literary creation.
"The Robbery of Leizhou" written by Xu Fang in the Ming Dynasty is such an ancient novel.
The novel tells the story of an official from Jinling (present-day Nanjing) who was appointed as the Taishou of Leizhou (present-day Leizhou Peninsula, Guangdong) in the early years of Chongzhen in the Ming Dynasty. On his way to his post, the official was attacked by robbers. After confirming his identity, the robbers killed the Taishou and his entourage, leaving his wife and daughter behind.
There is a very cunning and intelligent member of the robbers, who is elected as the new "Taishou". This fake taishou took the real appointment document and led the other robbers to disguise themselves as servants and go to Leizhou to take office. Because of their clever disguise, neither the local people nor the officials could see through their true identities.
This fake Taishou has shown a high level of integrity and competence in Leizhou, which has led to a significant improvement in local governance. The people and officials of Leizhou are glad to have such a wise Taishou. In order to further consolidate his position, the fake Taishou issued a ban that did not allow any Jinling people to enter Leizhou, even the relatives of the Taishou.
However, the son of Taishou was very confused when he learned of his father's ban. He came to Leizhou and found that he had nowhere to live, because no one dared to disobey Taishou's orders. When he finally met this "Taishou", he immediately realized that this person was not his father. Despite this, he did not immediately expose the truth, but secretly reported the situation to the superintendent.
The envoy decided to take action, and he invited the false Taishou to a banquet, at which the Taishou's son confronted him publicly. Faced with unanswerable questions and unrecognizable relatives, the fake Taishou revealed his flaws. The superintendent then ordered the soldiers in ambush to arrest the false taishou and his accomplices. After a fierce battle, some of the robbers escaped, but in the end seven were captured.
The arrested robbers were tried and sentenced to death in accordance with the law, and then escorted back to Jinling for execution. At this point, the people of Leizhou realized that their former Taishou was actually a group of robbers.
As a literary work created by ancient literati, the plot of "The Robbery of Leizhou" aims to warn the world of abuse of power, corruption, and loopholes in the legal system through dramatic narrative techniques and moral allegory. Although the process of the bandits' impersonation of officials in the story is vividly depicted, these episodes are not a true portrayal of the actual situation of ancient society, but the result of the author's artistic processing and fictional expression of specific social phenomena.
2. The dilemma of "bandits turning officials" in the context of real history
Compared with the wonderful plots constructed in literary works such as "The Robbery of Leizhou", the bandits in real history want to rob and kill officials and impersonate them, facing many insurmountable obstacles, which is almost an impossible task.
1. The tightness of the legal system and the bureaucratic system
The legal system of ancient China had strict rules on the identification of officials. Officials usually carry with them an official "notice" (equivalent to identification) and "edict" (letter of appointment).
Ye Yanzhan, a scholar in the middle of the house
These documents not only detailed the personal information, background, and rank of the officials, but also stamped with the official seal of the imperial court.
Even if the bandits were lucky enough to snatch these certificates, the words, seals and materials on them were beyond the imitation of ordinary people, and once they were checked, they would be revealed. In addition, the imperial court's contact and evaluation mechanism for new officials means that new officials need to quickly integrate into the local bureaucracy and establish contacts with colleagues, superiors and even subordinates. In order for an impostor to conceal his identity for a long time, he must have deep knowledge, rich experience in officialdom, and the ability to deal with various situations of officialdom, which is an almost impossible task for ordinary bandits. Once flaws are revealed in daily interactions, their fake identities are easily recognized.
2. Officialdom and social networks
Ancient officialdom was a highly closed and close-knit circle. Officials often enter the government through imperial examinations, recommendation and other means, and there are many complex relationships between each other, such as mentorship, fellow villagers, and the same year. Therefore, there is a certain understanding of each other.
After taking office, new officials often have to "meet" with local well-known squires and retired officials, and this process actually has the effect of verifying the true identity of officials, greatly reducing the chance of impostors getting away with it.
The portrait of the Han tomb in Zhucheng, Shandong is shown in the picture
3. Local governance and public supervision
In ancient times, local governance did not operate in isolation, but was subject to multiple constraints from above, peers, and public opinion. When a new official takes office, he or she not only has to deal with government affairs, but also has to face inspections from superiors, collaboration with colleagues, and feedback from the public. Even if bandits can maintain a semblance of order by some means in the short term, in the long run, it is difficult for them to deal with complex government problems and emergencies without real talent and formal administrative training.
4. The asymmetry between risk and return
For bandits, the risk of robbing officials and impersonating them is extremely high. Once exposed, it not only means the loss of personal life safety, but also implicates the family and even the entire gang, and faces severe punishment of raiding the family and exterminating the clan. Even if it is successfully replaced, it may be able to obtain a certain amount of power and wealth in the short term, but in the long run, such illegal gains are difficult to last, and there is always a risk of being exposed. In contrast, traditional banditry such as direct looting or extortion, although there are risks, but the benefits are more direct and the risks are relatively controllable, which is obviously a more rational choice for most bandits.
3. Conclusion: A Dialectical Examination of Literature and Reality
Works such as "Let the Bullets Fly" and "The Robbery of Leizhou", with their distinctive characters and gripping plots, inspire us to think deeply about the power structure of ancient society, the legal environment, and the good and evil of human nature. However, we should be soberly aware that these stories are artistic creations of ancient literati based on social phenomena, rather than accurate reproductions of historical facts. The likelihood of bandits posing as officials in real history is slim to none, and behind it is the strict constraints of the legal system and bureaucracy, as well as the multiple constraints of social networks, local governance mechanisms, and risk-benefit considerations. Therefore, while appreciating such literary masterpieces, we should not only appreciate their profound meaning and artistic value, but also rationally distinguish the boundaries between them and real history, so as to more accurately grasp the essential characteristics of ancient society.